


Fun

by sisterawesomeness



Category: rise of the guardians
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-10
Updated: 2015-09-10
Packaged: 2018-04-20 01:25:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 5,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4768328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sisterawesomeness/pseuds/sisterawesomeness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ever wonder what happened to Jackie and Jack during those missing four months before the movie even started? What trouble did they get into and what adventures did they have before meeting the guardians and facing the Boogeyman? Well, here are your answers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Just What Did Happen?

It's weird not being seen. I feel like a ghost even though I can't walk through walls or fly. When people walk through me it's more odd than frightening. Although every now and again, if I'm not paying attention, someone might startle me doing that. Must be a force of habit.

Jack's been really nice about the whole thing. He's tried to comfort me but in the end there's only so much he can do. After all he's in the same boat as me. I honestly don't know how he's dealt with not being able to communicate with anyone for as long as he has. I would probably have been fine for a while but eventually anyone would go insane. You'd question whether or not you actually existed after a time.

I've also found out the other's the Man in the Moon have picked out aren't exactly the most friendly bunch. Kind of surprising. They ignore Jack and are either too busy to hang out with him or don't seem to care. What a bunch of jerks and I'm including the big ones. They honestly can't take one day or night out of their busy schedules to at least talk to him? But Jack doesn't seem to care anymore. I think his tough attitude is like a shield he's built up over the years. A self-defense mechanism. The mind is an amazing thing.

He's still a little stunned about me being able to see him and having no clue what's going on. Although I think he's secretly happy I'm not rejecting him or running away. Poor boy's been alone for so long. Even if I had somewhere to go I couldn't just up and leave him by himself. But I do have to check one thing. That's why tomorrow Jack's going to fly me to my address. Not like people will freak out seeing a girl hurtling through the sky.

Then I'll be able to figure out once and for all if I'm in the movie universe or still in my own. If it's the first… I'd burn that bridge when I came to it. If it's the second I really don't know my own universe and I have a lot to tell Mema. She's the only person who'd believe me about this whole thing anyway. Well, if she can see me that is. I don't have a good feeling about this.


	2. Alone Alone

There's nothing here. Jack flew me to where my address was. And there's nothing here but a parking lot. He suggested I made a mistake or we took a wrong turn but I knew better. This answered at least one question. I was no longer in my own universe but in the Rise of the Guardians movieverse. I had no clue how I'd gotten here or what was going to happen next.

All I knew was that no one could see me, hear me, or even come into contact with me. Except for Jack. He patted my back and didn't leave my side as I just stood there and starred for what must have been five minutes straight at the lot where my house should have been. I secretly wondered if there was even some other version of me running around this world or if I was a square peg in a round hole.

This entire situation reminded me of a quote I once heard. "Alone, all alone. Nobody, but nobody can make it out here alone," I remembered.

"What's that?" Jack asked.

"It's a quote someone once said. I think someone named Maya Angelou. Whoever it was has a point. Who are we all by ourselves? Do we even exist? Humans and whatever the hell we are weren't meant to be out here all alone. We're sociable beings. So…" I turned to him. "Jack? You mind if I hang out with you? I wouldn't be bothering you would I?"

"You kidding? You're the only person who's hung around me more than five minutes in over three hundred years. And talking to you is way better than the one way conversations I'm used to."

"You must be a strong person Jack. I don't know how you lived alone for so long but I'll promise you this. As long as I'm here I'll stay by you and be your friend."

"Friend?" he was a bit shocked by my offer.

"You act like I have cooties or something," I lightly kidded.

He caught on I was joking after a moment and rolled with it. Probably trying to distract me from the fact I no longer had a house or family waiting for me. "I bet you're infested with them," he grabbed his staff and acted like he was backing away in fear.

"You better watch out," I took a step forward. "You might just catch 'em!" I made a jump for him but he was too fast.

"No, no!" he acted like a B list actress in an old horror movie. "Stay away! Whatever will I do against a threatening girl?" he taunted me a bit by using his staff to quickly flip my hood up over my face.

"Oh it is on mister," I pulled my hood back down. "You better run little rabbit 'cause this kitty's got claws!" I charged at him.

"I'd say more like kitten," he smirked jumping onto a light post.

"You know cats can climb right?"

"I'd like to see you get up here," he waved his stick at me.

"You just taunted the tiger!" I yelled. It was that same day I found I could run far faster than a normal human and jump much farther. Jack considered this fact the next time we got into a fake battle. He knew the tiger always came out on top. Even when he froze my legs to the ground. Cheater.


	3. Old Man Winter

I got to see Old Man Winter today. Like I said before I got to see some of the other spirits running around. None of them were very nice and mostly ignored us. Jack told me about some other ones including the old man. We were simply hanging out in the forest when he was suddenly there.

We didn't get much of a sign until Jack pointed out how the wind seemed to stop and things froze around us and it wasn't his doing. Then he pointed behind me and I turned. "That's Old Man Winter," Jack whispered to me and I could tell he was somewhat in awe himself.

He was pretty much what you would expect him to look like. He was semi hunched over and had a walking stick in his right hand. It appeared to freeze where he touched it like Jack's staff did. The man couldn't have been much taller than Jack even if his back was straight. He had long white hair that stuck out behind him and appeared frosted at the tips. From my angle I managed to see he had a matching beard. His clothes were at least modern looking. He wore a baggy pair of grey cargo pants, huge boots, and I couldn't make out if he wore any shirt under that large greyish trench coat. The side of his face I saw made it seem like he didn't have a ton of wrinkles and I caught a glimpse of silver eyes.

Every step he took froze the ground around him and anything nearby. He walked slowly but I couldn't say if he honestly couldn't go any faster or if it was deliberate. "Wow," I couldn't help but gasp a bit. Yes he looked different from a normal old man but he wasn't nearly as out there in appearance as some of the other spirits. Still, he held a certain power around him like you couldn't look away even if you tried.

Looking at him reminded me of one of my old teachers. He appeared to have been around forever and seen everything. He wasn't overtly threatening but you had a deep sense that he somehow deserved your respect. My explanation kind of sucks but there's no real way to get that type of feeling across.

Jack had described him for me before but he had said he couldn't do the man justice. I now understood why. He'd painted his features perfectly but this aurora around him… I felt as if I was locked in place.

It was then the old man stopped. I nearly held my breath at the sight. He didn't seem to be staring at anything in particular but peered into the forest ahead of him. Slowly he turned and looked at us. His eyes seemed to bore into me. It was the kind of stare where you feel like they can see into your soul and know all the things you've done. I felt as if I was being frozen to the ground myself. His eyes didn't hold any judgment but they didn't hold any surprise either. It was as if he'd seen us a hundred times before.

It felt as if it went on for hours but I'm fairly certain it only lasted ten seconds tops before he turned from us again. He started walking at his own pace once more but I still couldn't force myself to move or take my eyes off his form. Jack didn't say anything behind me but I didn't hear him move either. So, we stood there and watched his retreating form until he eventually disappeared from our line of sight.

I felt as if I could finally let out the breath I didn't know I'd been holding. I heard Jack start moving behind me and turned to face him. "Really something isn't he?" he asked.

"I'd say, man."

"I know," he patted my shoulder. "This is the second time I've actually seen him and it hasn't changed anything." I didn't ask why he hadn't tried talking to him. Heck I could barely move myself let alone go over and talk to the guy. Too bad because I'd like to know what all he's witnessed over the years. Plus, his powers seem similar to Jack's. Only on a larger scale seeing as how it had started snowing.

"Hm," was all I answered as we went back into town. I wonder… I would have to wait until I could get away from Jack for a bit but I didn't think it would be difficult to find the old man. I had a few things I needed to ask him. Worst case scenario I'd do what I'd just done. Best would be my actually being able to converse with him. I'd have to try.


	4. A Chat

It took a while but eventually I got some private time from Jack. I went off looking for the man and it wasn't hard to track him. For a normal person all they might see would be regular ice and frost but I could see the intricate details in the snow. Plus, being able to jump up thirty feet in the air off of a building to check things is a bonus.

I wasn't too sure what my tactic was going to be. "Hi, my name's Jackie. How are you doing Old Man Winter?" I could freeze up like I did earlier. Even if I didn't there'd be no guarantee he would talk to me at all. Still, I had to give it a shot.

It took be a little over an hour but I caught up to him. Funny for such a slow moving old man he sure got around. I'm not sure if he saw me coming or if it was a coincidence but he had stopped and was actually leaning against a rock. I jumped near to him but walked normally the rest of the way. If he hadn't noticed me coming I didn't want to startle him.

When I saw him this time I fought the urge to freeze like before, especially when he looked at me. "Hello," he spoke first. "Young one…" The air he breathed frosted around him.

"Hi," I managed. His presence still made me just want to stand there like an idiot but I had other things to do.

"I know why you have come."

"Really?"

"I may be old but I know when someone looks curious. You are here concerning Jack Frost."

"Yes, sir," I'm not sure why but I felt I needed to be respectful. Maybe because he was older. "Why are all the others spirits such jerks to him? I might be able to excuse the big ones, they're probably busy. And he might have ticked off a few. But the rest…"

"They are caught up in their own worlds so to speak," he paused for a moment and I wondered whether or not he was going to go on. He did. "They have no regard for others, often even those they affect with their gifts. They merely wish to be recognized."

"I can't blame them but that doesn't mean they have to be jerks to each other and everyone else."

"They are youthful. It would not be a bad thing but they have allowed their confidence to turn into arrogance and their pride into selfishness. I have found neither in you or Jack Frost." I raised a brow at that but he continued. "You are both playful and mischievous but not malevolent. You are considerate in your own ways. He is more boisterous then I and that is why we do not see each other often. Most of the other spirits do not seem to welcome my presence. I do not blame them. But that only answers a few of your questions does it not?"

"Yes. Has the Man in the Moon spoken to you? If not do you know if he's spoken to the other spirits outside of the Guardians?" I knew from the movie the Man in the Moon wasn't the most talkative guy but couldn't he have given Jack a hint in all those years?

"He does not often speak but I am sure you know that already. I see him when I walk but he has not said anything to me in a long time. If he does converse with the younger spirits I would not know. I doubt they would listen even if he did. You wonder why he has not spoken to you or Jack Frost." He stood on his feet again and took a step toward me. "I do not speak for him nor do I claim to know what his reasons are. But I have been around long enough to know he will reveal his purpose for why he saved the both of you when the time comes." He peered into the forest to his right as if someone was there. "I must be going but it was nice talking to you, child. It has been a while since I have had the chance to stop and take a rest. Until we meet again and be careful returning to where you came from. The world is not a safe place, even for us spirits who haunt it."

"I'm sorry but I didn't introduce myself. My name's Jackie," I told him as he started walking away. "Jackie Frost and you take care too."

"Goodnight then Jackie Frost," he began disappearing into the forest. "You already know my name."


	5. A Present for Santa

Well I found it was nearing Christmas time before I could blink. A time for families and friends, of decorating the tree and making your favorite cookies. Children were bundled up as they ran from store window to store window gawking at the displays. Laughter filled the air and overtook any of the angry shouts people had about one another's driving or if they'd get a certain toy at the last second.

It made me smile looking at the street below us as all of this took place. Course my good mood might have been attributed to the giant freshly baked cookie Jack had swiped for me from a cart. I might not get hungry but it didn't mean I couldn't enjoy food. That's when he proposed what we could do. Right when I had my mouth full of awesome gooey goodness. "Y-you want to what?" I somehow got out.

"Come on Jackie it's the perfect plan. North will be far too busy with Christmas just around the corner to notice the two of us sneaking in for a peek," he smiled at me. He had his mind made up about doing it but I could tell he wanted me to go with him.

"I don't know Jack," I finished off the cookie. "This is Christmas we're talking about."

"I know but I've… Well haven't you ever wanted to take a peek in Santa's workshop?" He'd stopped so abruptly but I could tell what he meant. He didn't get presents. He was at the top of the naughty list. Well, that didn't seem right. Yeah Jack was a prankster but he wasn't mean and never hurt anyone. Plus, it did tick me off a little that the big ones practically ignored Jack when all he really wanted was a friend.

"You know what?" I smirked at him. "I'm in. So what's the plan?"

His smiled spread across his whole face as he leaned in. "That's the spirit. So first…"

~*~

Not half an hour later the two of us were using the wind and Jack's staff to get us to the pole. I had my coat on and the hood up. I didn't get cold like a normal person did but it was freezing up here. And I hang out with Jack Frost.

He flew us up to one of the windows and I hung on the sill as he floated there. "Ok," he said and kept his voice low. "You know what to do." I nodded and he was off. The plan was for each of us to enter different windows. Jack would go in first and make a commotion. Then I'd go in and distract the guards. That way we'd both get to look around some and hopefully not get caught. Jack had tried this before so he knew what to expect from the yeti guards. But he had an advantage. None of them would be suspecting me.

I acted when I heard some pounding feet and shouting in yeti. I opened the window to look in first and saw Jack flying on his staff as fast as he could go through the toy room. Yetis were after him and I saw my opening. He caught sight of me and nodded. I'd made it in. It was as amazing as it was in the show. Though a bit more cramped but that might have been due to how Christmas would be upon us soon.

I had my look and then did my part. I nodded to Jack as he hid behind one of the mounds of toys. I whistled as loud as I could until the yetis looked over and saw me. I waved and then took off running. For dudes so big they could move when they wanted to. Yeah I was faster than when I was normal but that wasn't really helping me in such a small space.

I was almost cornered by two groups of them but used my skills to jump clean over a hill of toy robots. They weren't expecting that and I had a couple second head start I put to good use. I bolted into the first room I saw and quickly closed the door.

I smiled as I listened to them go thundering past it. And that's when I looked around and saw exactly where I was. I was in North's office. "Oh great." _Well, I might as well since I'm here. Not like there's going to be a better place to put this._ I put the card on the desk and heard something outside the door.

"No no," came an eerily familiar voice. "I thought I heard something but it must have been nothing. Now back to work everyone!"

I panicked and did the first thing I could think of. Jump out the window. I thumped into a pile of snow and spit some of it out of my mouth. "Jackie!" I heard somewhere behind me.

"Jack," he helped me get up to my feet. "What happened to you?"

"Phil caught me and tossed me out a window. I'm guessing the same happened to you."

"Yeah," I lied. Well I did go out a window. "How about we get out of here?" I offered. "I'm really in the mood for another one of those giant cookies."

"Good plan. We can always come back after Christmas. That's when they're guards are down anyway," he smiled and offered me his hand.

"Sorry the plan didn't work," I said as we took off into the sky.

"Who says it didn't work?"

~*~

This time of year North found he had little time for his hobbies. He was always checking toy models or ordering what he wanted done. He'd only come into his office to get a sketch for a prototype when he noticed something sitting on his desk. "What is this?"

It appeared to be a simple red card made out of construction paper. There was a picture of a green Christmas tree glued to the front of it along with the words, "Dear North." Curious he opened it and read what was inside. "Hello North. You don't know me but that's ok. I just wanted to give you this because you're always giving stuff out to others. I know this card isn't anything fancy but it's all I had to work with. I hope you understand. It's not everyday someone gets to give Santa a present. Merry Christmas and don't overdo it. A lot of kids are counting on you." It was signed 'A Friend'.

It was true the card wasn't one of the best he'd ever seen. It appeared a child could have made it. But he had no clue who could have left it or gotten past the yetis. Still, to whomever it was he was grateful. In all his years there had only been a handful of times anyone had given him a present outside of milk and cookies. "Thank you then my friend," he said aloud. "And may you have a merry Christmas as well."


	6. Little Brother

After our failed attempt to break into North's workshop we laid low for a few days and before we knew it Christmas Eve had arrived. I felt lonely without Mema there to watch old T.V. specials with me or to hang the star on our tree… But I tried to keep my mind off such things by preparing a little something for Jack.

He'd been on the naughty list for so long I figured he hadn't received a gift in a good while. So I made him a card. I knew it wasn't much but at least it was better than nothing. "Oh Jack!" I called searching for him. He'd been gone the past few hours as it got dark out. I'd been a little happy because this let me put the finishing touches on the card without him noticing. But now I wanted to give it to him. No real sense in waiting until morning seeing as we didn't have a tree or stockings to put anything in anyway.

"Where are you?"

"Behind you," he snuck up behind me and covered my eyes.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing."

"Uh huh." I went up to grab his arms but he stopped me.

"Leave them closed."

"Why?"

"Because I have a surprise for you."

"Really?"

"Yes," he gently took my hands. "Now just keep them closed." He led me around for about a minute before he let go of my hands. "Ok you can open your eyes… Now!"

I did and was met with a sight. Since it was winter snow and the pond being frozen was to be expected. However, everything else was a real treat. It was lightly snowing and everything twinkled in the light of the moon. There were mounds of snowballs, makeshift barricades, and snowmen lined up all along the pond. I noticed something under a nearby tree. There were presents and stockings made out of snow. On the tree itself were snow and ice ornaments. In the moonlight they almost seemed to glow like regular tree ornaments. "Wha?"

"I know it's not a normal Christmas," he said. "I can't give you a real Christmas tree or stockings by a nice fire. I can't even get you real presents or anything but…"

I smiled at him and reached into my bag. I pulled out the card and handed it to him. "Who says this isn't a real Christmas?" I asked him. He opened the card and saw the little note I'd written him on how I was happy to be spending such an important day with him. "And I see you've made me tons of presents. Sorry all I got you was a card."

He didn't say anything for a moment but looked at me. Then with no warning he actually hugged me. I stood there stunned for a moment before I hugged him back. "Thank you Jackie," he said.

"Thank you Jack," I replied. "And Merry Christmas."

He finally pulled back. "Merry Christmas," he smiled.

"Now, how about you and me put these presents to good use?" I asked motioning to the snowballs.

A smirk appeared on his face at what I meant. "I'd be happy to." With that he took off to a nearby pile and I was scrambling to get one of my own.

"You cheat!" I got pelted with one. "I'll get you for that."

"I'd like to see you try," he countered and I saw he had put his card under the tree with the fake snow presents. That was one of the best Christmas's I'd ever had. I may not have been with my Mema but I found Jack might as well have been family to me by then. He was like the little brother I never had.


	7. One Secret

"Hey, Jack?" I asked hanging upside down off of a pair of monkey bars. He stood on his staff at the top of the slide.

"Yeah, Jackie?" he replied.

"I gotta tell you something…"

"What?"

"I… You see…" I didn't know how to get it out so I went for blurting it. "My real name isn't Jackie Frost. It's just a nickname. My _full_ name is Faith Jackelyn Frost. It always seemed a mouthful and too old fashioned so I never really used it. That's why I say my name's Jackie. Only my Mema ever calls me by my real name."

He looked at me for a moment before he shrugged it off. "How come you didn't tell me sooner?"

"Because I honestly forgot at first. Then the longer we knew each other then it kinda got more awkward. I didn't know how to come out and say, 'Oh by the way that wasn't my actual name.' Who does that? Gah! I'm so weird sometimes…"

"You're not nearly as strange as some of the people I've seen," he smiled at me from where he stood. "I think you're real name's cool but if you want I'll just keep calling you Jackie. It's up to you."

I kind of felt bad seeing as Jack didn't even know his old name. The name he used was the one given to him by the Man in the Moon. To not even know what your own name is… It has to be horrible. And I felt even worse for not telling him. That and about how I'm from another universe. But how does one approach that topic? My thoughts were interrupted when Jack stood up.

"Jackie?" he asked with a bright smile on his face.

"Yes?" I got up from where I was hanging.

"Wanna go see what England looks like this time of year?"

I returned his smile as he jumped over to where I was and held out his hand. "I'd love to," I took his hand in mine. I'd have to tell him sooner or later… But for now I'd let that sleeping dog lie. I'd revealed one secret for the day and right now I had the feeling that was enough.


	8. A Wish

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the final chapter of the prequel to I Believe. Thank you for reading this story. I love you guys! I'll try to work on the sequel soon, I swear. But I warn you I'm working and might not get a lot of time. Just wanted to give all you awesome peeps a heads-up. Till next time!

"Keep your eyes closed," I told him.

"Why?" he asked as I led him back to the pond.

"You'll see," I partially laughed. "Ok… Now!" He opened his eyes and was greeted with the sight of two chocolate cupcakes in front of us. Both had blue icing and one candle in them with a tiny flame barely surviving the cold weather.

"What's this?" he inquired.

"Well today's a big day for me," I told him. "It's my birthday."

"Really? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want to bother you while we were having fun in Spain. Plus… I don't know when your birthday is. I kinda felt bad if we celebrated mine without knowing yours. But then I thought of something. What if we celebrated yours too? It doesn't have to be the same day or anything. You could pick any day you want." I hoped he'd go for my idea. I didn't want to hurt his feelings.

"That's… A great idea Jackie," he told me picking up one of the treats. "But what day should I pick?"

"Any day you want!" I smiled as he bought into my idea.

"Hm…" he appeared to think for a moment. "Ok, I've got one."

"Which day is it?" I asked picking up my own.

"The day I met you," he smiled at me. "Until then I didn't have anyone to talk to let alone celebrate this type of thing with. It really didn't matter until that day." I was startled for a moment by the impact of his words. It was times like this I was reminded of how alone Jack had been for all those years. I felt myself starting to tear up. "Jackie?" he must've noticed. "Are you alright? It's ok, it doesn't have to be that day if that's what's wrong. I can pick another day…"

"No," I got myself together. "It's perfect. Only I didn't get you a birthday gift."

"This is all I need," he indicated the cupcake. "So, are we gonna blow out our candles and make a wish?"

"Let's do it together," I smiled back at him. "One, two…"

"Three," he finished and we did just that. "What did you wish for?"

"No telling," I lightly chided. "Or it won't come true." I happened to notice something out of the corner of my eye. Movement. "A butterfly?" I asked seeing a blue butterfly floating slowly through the air. It wasn't the right time of year for them so what was one doing here.

"That's weird," Jack noted too as he took a bite.

"The weirdest," I smiled and waved it off as it took off into the sky. I had the odd habit of doing that ever since I was a kid. I could be reading too much into it but maybe it was a sign of things to come. Easter would be upon us soon and I had no clue what that meant for us. The movie might start up and I had no idea what to really do. Should I tell Jack and the others? Or would that mess everything up? Would the same events from the movie take place in this universe? What would they say if I did tell them? Would they even believe me? Is it better to let events unfold on their own?

I had so many questions and no answers. I suppose I was similar to Jack in that manner. We both wanted some answers only the Man in the Moon could give us. I glanced up and saw him silently in the sky. He hadn't said anything since I'd shown up… Would he ever? Or was I supposed to figure everything out on my own like a normal person?

I would never tell Jack this but I wished for to know what the right thing in this situation is. I doubt I'd get my answer… But watching that butterfly disappear into the moonlight I didn't think I was entirely alone in this thing either. Right then I got icing shoved in my face. "Wha?"

"Got ya," Jack laughed.

"Oh really?" I used my own cupcake and shoved it in his face before he could dodge. Let whatever is going to happen come. I'd gladly face it for Jack. And I guess I'll just have to figure it out as I go. But doesn't everyone?


End file.
